Steaming or vaporizing means



Nov. 30, 1948. K. wEIK 2,454,903

STEAMING OR VAPORIZING MEANS V Filed om. a, 1945 z'sneets-she'et 1 i I I ILL/'25 INVENTOR. I w/Cl me? 5. @degl Nov. 30, i948. l' K. wElK STEMING OH VAPORIZING MEANS 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1945.

INVENTOR /tahf Ubik Patented Nov. 30, 1948 .Unirse STATE-fs PATENT orme-.E

` i2,454,903 f f `*s'riminiNef 4oit vAPoRizING kauwen, Detroit, Mich., vassigner to .-Fabrictn s; Products, Inc., .River TAR tion for Michigan ouge, Mich., afcorpora- Application october 8, 19215,' 'sei-tal No. cabe-is This application relates to steaming or vaporizing means, particularly adapted for quick drying or quick setting of ink on a travelling web of paper or the like.

Ink is known which may be quickly dried or set after it is applied to a travelling web of paper or the like by the application of live steam or water vapor. Apparatus now known for applying steam to a recently inked travelling web or paper comprises nothing more than one or more perforated steam pipes from which live steam emerges to impinge directly on the travelling web. Such apparatus has not been found too satisfactory for the purpose. Live steam impinging directly on the paper, and condensate from live steam making contact with the paper produces isolated and numerous weak spots on the paper which considerably weakens the paper. The live steam tends to foul and rust the apparatus.

In this application I disclose an apparatus for steaming or vaporizing a recently inked travelling web of paper which is so constructed that no steam is impinged directly upon the paper nor is steam condensate permitted to spot the paper and create spots of weakness.

For an understanding of the apparatus herein disclosed reference should be had to the appended drawing. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a travelling web and my steaming or vaporizing apparatus directly above it;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus of Fig. l, as if in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1, with the travelling web omitted;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section View of a principal portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that Fig. 1 shows at II! a sheet metal hood overlying a travelling web II of paper or the like as the latter passes from the printing or impression roller l2 over an idler roller I3 to a cooling roller I4 from which the web passes to a winding means not shown.

The hood has four sides and a top, but is open at the bottom. The lower edge of the hood, on all four sides, is flanged inwardly, as shown at I5, to form a gutter or drip trough, for condensate, and suitable drain pipes, not shown, are provided. 50

The hood I II has an exhaust port I 6 opening to a point remote from the printing machine in which the apparatus here shown is incorporated, preferably above the roof of the building housing the machine. Within the hood is a steam 1 Claim. (Cl. 342-479) 2 box referenced generally' Il' and "suppliedfwith steam4` from Nt'lrle'steam inlet pipes I8 which communicate with the interior of the box through a series of ports I9.

The steam box is shown in greater detail in Fig. 3. It is a shallow box of considerable area so as to have a considerable length along the web and so as to have a width at least equal to the inked part of the web. It consists of large shallow marginally anged top and bottom plates 2l) and 2l joined to form a large area hollow box of slight depth or height. Its lower edge is marginally flanged inwardly on all four sides, as shown at 22, to form a gutter or drip trough for condensate, and suitable drain pipes, not shown, are provided. Approximately midway between its front and rear ends, the top of the box is enlarged to form a hump or shell 23 extending across the box and containing deflectors 24. rIhe lower edges of these delectors 24 are also flanged, as at 25, also to provide gutters. The deflectors 24 prevent steam entering the shell 23 from impinging directly upon the web Il which is exposed to the interior of the box through a narrow slot 29 formed in the lower plate 2I, and extending across the web from one side edge of the box to the other. The slot admits live steam from within the box to the space 3l between the box and the web II'. The side edges of the slot 29 are flanged, as indicated at 30, to prevent steam entering the box through the ports I9 from impinging directly on the web exposed at the slot 29.

The box is completely sealed, except for the slot 29, and this slot is approximately midway between the forward and rear ends of the box to enable the web to be preheated by the forward part of the box before it rea-ches the slot and to enable the web, which is steamed at and near the slot, to be heated by the rearpart of the box after it passes the slot.

The steam box prevents steam which enters the space 3l through the slot 29 from condensing in such space and producing weak spots on the web where the condensate drops onto the web.

Now having described the steaming or vaporizing apparatus herein disclosed, reference should be had to the claim which follows:

I claim:

Apparatus for steaming or vaporizing a recently inked travelling web of paper comprising a steam box having a considerable length along the web and having a width at least equal to the inked part of the web, said box being hollow, the wall of the box nearer the web being closely adjacent the web and having a narrow slot extending across the web and communicating the interior of the box with the space between said Wall and said web, said box being completely sealed except for said slot, means for introducing steam into the box, and deectors in said box adjacent said means for preventing entering steam from impinging directly on said web through said slot, said deflectors including flanges at the edges of the slot projecting from the slotted wall of the box towards the opposite wall, and formations projecting from said opposite wall towards the flanges, said slot being approximately midway between the forward and rear ends of the box whereby the web may be preheated by the forward part of the box before it reaches the slot and whereby the web, steamed at the slot, may be heated after it passes the slot by the rear part of the box, and an exhaust hood closely surrounding said box for exhausting steam from the space between the web and the box.

KARL WEIK.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: 

